Best Free Usenet Clients
Below we have listed the most popular free usenet newsgroup readers. There are a few others out there but the free newsgroup reader list below is the best of the best.
| Name | Editor Rating | Platfrom | NZB | SSL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Unzbin | If you like Usenet but have felt that Usenet is either too complicated or you have felt like spending the money on a good newsreader and especially if you like utorrent client and wish there was something similar for Usenet, then you are in luck. Unzbin is awesome! Review of Unzbin or Visit Unzbin | Windows | Yes | Yes |
Sabnzbd | Sabnzbd is a web based USENET newsreader and will run on any Windows, Mac and Unix. Sabnzbd has some integration with the popular Newsbin website and is continually improving their software. Recommended for Mac and Linux users. Review of Sabnzbd or Visit Sabnzbd | Windows Mac Linux | Yes | Yes |
Grabit | It is a very good, free newsreader that will be of interest to all Usenet newbies. Grabit has large and simple buttons for most basic functions but what really sets Grabit apart is its handling of binary files. Review of Grabit or Visit Grabit | Windows | Yes | Yes |
Thunderbird | Thunderbird is free, available in all platforms. Its perfect for a free solution for regular newsgroup reading but NOT for USENET binaries. You will need something else if you are downloading binaries. Review of Thunderbird or Visit Thunderbird | Windows Mac Linux | No | Yes |
In addition to the free usenet reader list above, it should also be noted that alt.binz (a popular binary usenet newsreader with two versions) is somewhat free. That is, the first version of alt.binz is free so technically it is a free usenet newsreader but it is limited in nature. Really instead, alt.binz is donationware and you have to pay a small fee to receive the full fledged and improved version.
Some other free usenet news readers are not listed because they are very outdated and not even worth your time especially if you are looking to download binary files.
Essentially if you want something free and you are going to participate in only discussions and not binary downloading then Mozilla Thunderbird is the perfect free usenet news reader. It is available for every platform – Windows, Mac and Linux and despite a few tricky and hard to understand parts, is a very good piece of software. Check out our review of Mozilla Thunderbird here.
Note: Mozilla Thunderbird is not as frequently updated as the firefox web browser but still it is updated often enough and is a decent client.
Finally, If you are interested in downloading binary files from Usenet and you want something free then essentially you have three choices
- Unzbin - excellent NZB file downloader simliar to utorrent in the speed, usefulness and coolness. Only for NZB downloading
- Grabit - decent Usenet software for windows. We prefer Unzbin in the free category but make up your own mind. There are other Usenet newsreaders available which I would recommend if you start to spend a lot of time download from Usenet
- SabNZBD- this is a webbased program which means that SabNZBD installs it own webserver and the user interface is webbased. Sabnzbd is making lots of improvements and continually developing and improving their software.
So in conclusion, give these free ones a try and remember, if you really get into Usenet be sure to check out our list of best newsgroup software.
